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Tory cuts create health service crisis...

BACK THE STRIKES

DEFEND
OUR
NHS
N
ext Thursday up to half a
million health workers are set
to walk out on strike. Their fight
for fair pay is also a fight to defend
our NHS. It is a fight for everyone and
deserves wide support.
This strike and the further 24-hour strike
planned for 25 February represent a serious
escalation of the pay dispute. These workers
need our solidarity.
Unison, Unite, GMB and Royal College
of Midwives members are all set to join the
strike. The GMB is currently considering
calling ambulance workers out for 48 hours.
Concern over the state of the health
service at the hands of the Tories continues
to grow. The most recent Guardian/ICM
poll shows that 31 percent of respondents
see the health service as the most important
issue. This is up 7 points on the previous
survey.
This also follows the Ashcroft poll
which showed that over 50 percent of the
20,000 voters surveyed believed the state
of the NHS has worsened under Camerons
coalition.
The survey also showed that people
dont trust the Tories to care for the NHS
and believe its being lined up for further
charges for services and privatisation.
Its no wonder people feel that way,
with hospitals on emergency alert and the
Accident and Emergency service in crisis.

Growing

There is now evidence that in some

parts of the country life expectancy is in
reverseits shortening. Some health
experts are attributing this to cuts in the
health service. This also is the human cost
of the Tories slashing 3.5bn from local
authority adult social care which is piling
pressure on the NHS.
It is not, as Jeremy Hunt has claimed,
the strikers that are impacting patient
safety to an unacceptable level but his Tory
government.
In every workplace across Britain we
should be taking collections and sending
messages of support to back the health
strikers.
We should build for the biggest possible
delegations from our workplaces to the

Midwives strike back

picket lines. The strike is for 12 hours from

9am on Thursday 29 January and for 24
hours on 25 February.
We cant rely on Ed Miliband and Labour
to stop the attacks on public services and
workers standard of living after the general
election.
Labour has already announced it will
stick to Tory spending plans. That will
mean more cuts and that the curbs on wages
will continue.

Election

We have to fight back now and not wait for

the election. Thats why the health strikes
are so important. Similarly, the strike by
well over 20,000 bus workers in London on
Tuesday 13 January showed the potential.
Privatisation means that there are over 80
different wage rates at the 18 London bus
companies. Unite union members struck to
win one rate for the job across the capital.
The other big election issue is
immigration. UKIP and the Tories are
telling us to blame migrants for the
economic mess that the bankers and

politicians created.
Too often Labour has gone along with
this rubbish rather than challenging it.
After the right have tried to take
advantage of the tragic events in France
there is a real danger that scapegoating of
migrants and Muslims as an enemy within
will continue to intensify.
On bus workers and NHS picket lines,
workers from all over the world
are represented. They are part of the
solution, not part of the problem!
We have to reject this divide and rule
nonsense. If we stand together we can beat
austerity. But if were divided its the bosses
and the Tories who will have the last laugh.
On 21 March everyone who can, should
get to the demonstrations against racism in
Glasgow, Cardiff and London.
And in the election we should give our
votes to candidates who will stand up for
working class people.
The Trade Unionist and Socialist
Coalition and Left Unity are standing
socialist candidates.
We should back them.

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